Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) is calling for nominations for outstanding women in the Southern Metropolitan Region.

International Women’s Day is a global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. To mark the occasion, WHISE, Bentleigh Bayside Community Health and partners will host an award ceremony to acknowledge the contributions of older women in the categories of:

·         An inspirational Aboriginal Elder
·         An inspirational woman with a disability
·         An inspirational cultural leader

This year, the event will take a closer look at older women from intersectional communities and exploring the disturbing rise in elder abuse.

“Elder abuse is a human rights issue that Australia needs to be more aware of, particularly for vulnerable communities such as women with disabilities, Aboriginal women and women from culturally diverse backgrounds,” says Ms Rachel Lennon, Health Promotion Manager from WHISE.

Guest speaker, Aunty Janet Turpie-Johnstone, Aboriginal Elder, will share her experience as an older woman and talk about elder abuse in the Aboriginal community.

Both individuals and women’s groups can be nominated for an award. Nominations for Aboriginal women, women with disabilities, women from the LGBTIQ community and overseas born women are encouraged.

Prizes will be awarded to each category winner.

Nominations close on Friday 17 February 2017. The ceremony will be held on Wednesday 8 March at Bentleigh Secondary College from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm.

You can now nominate or register for the event.